The UFC announced Tuesday that light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will
defend his title against Chael Sonnen
in April after coaching against the Oregonian during the 17th
season of “The Ultimate Fighter” on the FX network.

Jones was offered and declined a fight with Sonnen on eight days’
notice ahead of UFC 151. “Bones” had initially been slated to face
Dan
Henderson at the Sept. 1 event, but Henderson withdrew from the
booking due to injury, leaving the UFC without an opponent for
Jones just one week out from the show. With no suitable main event
available, the promotion canceled UFC 151 and re-booked Jones three
weeks later at UFC
152, where he submitted Vitor
Belfort in the fourth round to retain his belt.

Now, the champion will meet Sonnen within the confines of the
reality show, which begins shooting in just two weeks. Most expect
Sonnen’s silver tongue to be put to full use during the upcoming
season, a fact that Jackson says may not behoove the challenger
come fight night.

“I certainly don’t think it would be a wise strategy to get Jon
really mad, but that’s something [Sonnen will] have to decide for
himself. When you get into Jon’s face, that’s definitely when he
performs the best, for sure,” Jackson said during his Tuesday
appearance on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Cheap Seats” program.
“[Jones is] very articulate, and he gets right to the point. It’s
just that trash-talking isn’t usually his thing, but Jon is going
to be one of the greatest fighters ever. That’s my belief. He’s
something special, and he’s going to be at the top of the
heap.”

While many might shy away from an opportunity to engage in a war of
words with Sonnen -- a man known for his pre-fight banter -- Jones’
head trainer believes that the experience of going tete-a-tete with
the two-time middleweight title challenger will only make “Bones”
stronger.

“One thing about Jon Jones is that he is incredibly mentally tough.
I think he’s going to learn from it and grow from it,” said
Jackson. “You never want to underestimate Jon, because he is so
mentally strong and very smart. I think it’s just going to make him
tougher, especially mentally, to have to deal with all the stuff
that will come along with the show.”

During the show’s taping, Jackson says he will play a similar role
as he has in the past when one of his fighters has snagged a
coaching gig on the UFC’s long-running series.

“What I did to help out Rashad [Evans] and [Georges St.
Pierre] was to come in and set up the structure and then let
the other coaches -- who are much better than I am -- let them
shine,” said Jackson. “Then, when I had a little time, I would come
in and help out here and there, and that’s probably what’s going to
happen again. I just don’t have the time to spend away from
Albuquerque. There are too many people on our team counting on me
and [Mike] Winkeljohn [for either of us] to go anywhere for any
extended period of time.”

Regarding the actual title fight, some have written Sonnen off as a
non-threat to Jones’ throne, an opinion with which Jackson does not
agree.

“I always feel that everybody has a legitimate chance, because it’s
MMA. It [may not be] very likely, but there is no such thing as 100
percent. You have to believe that, because you have to stay
hungry,” said Jackson. “If you [think], ‘Well, I’m just going to
beat this guy,’ that’s usually the time that you get beat yourself.
My job is just to make sure that we can get those chances as much
as we can into Jon’s favor.

“Sonnen is a great fighter. I’ve been in the trenches against
Sonnen several times and seen what he is capable of when he is on,
and [I’ve seen] what he does well. I would never disrespect Sonnen
by saying, ‘Jon will roll right over this guy. That’s a gimme
fight.’ Those fights don’t exist,” Jackson continued. “I’ve been a
veteran of this sport for 20 years. I’ve done more corners than
anybody, by far. I’ve seen examples of things that we should have
100-percent won -- just walked over people -- and it’s either a
tough fight, or we lose.”

Jackson also believes that Sonnen’s style presents unique
challenges when compared with fighters against which Jones has
previously competed in the Octagon.

“[Sonnen is] a heavy pressure fighter. He gets inside your range
really well. People like Rashad are amazing fighters, but they play
on the outside and then hit these wicked, very fast shots. Sonnen
is a guy who is left-handed, and he brings a different kind of
style than what Jon has faced before, which is exciting for both
myself and Jon,” said Jackson. “[Sonnen’s] grinding, in-your-face
style can be nullified. There’s no doubt we can nullify it, but it
is a little bit different than everybody thinks it is. Losing to
Anderson
Silva twice doesn’t mean that [Sonnen] is washed up or that
he’s not effective as a fighter. He’s actually a very good fighter,
and he deserves a lot of respect.”

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